


in my right hand there's the great unknown

by LuckyDiceKirby



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 21:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8344315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyDiceKirby/pseuds/LuckyDiceKirby
Summary: Juno and Nureyev survive Miasma and drink whiskey on Juno's couch. Also, Rita is pissed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure something that happens in next week's episode will contradict this, but in the meantime, enjoy these guys being dumb. Title from The Draw by Bastille.

After they extricated themselves from the entire mess with Miasma, Juno took Nureyev back to his apartment. He didn't know if he'd ever felt this tired before, even back in the Oldtown days. His bones felt heavy. Nureyev had mentioned, suggestively, that he was going to book a hotel room, and Juno just didn't have the patience for it. For the flirting, the raised eyebrows, the sleight of hand--none of it.

Juno just wanted a stiff drink and a warm bed, and his traitorous heart wanted to have those things with Nureyev. He'd had enough problems in the past few days without denying himself this one thing. So he'd grabbed Nureyev's arm and said, "My place only has one or two cockroaches, and they're not any bigger than your foot."

"Well," Nureyev had said, allowing himself to be led along, "if you insist."

Who knew if Nureyev would be there in the morning. Right now, Juno was willing to pretend he didn't care.

When they got back to Juno's apartment, Rita was sitting on his doorstep.

It's possible that Juno forgot to call her and tell her not to worry. So sue him--it had been kind of a busy day. Few days. Fuck, what day was it again?

"Mister Steel!" Ah, and now he had an armful of assistant.

Juno sighed, and hugged Rita back. He knew how these things went: if Rita wanted to hug you, she was going to hug you, and you might as well resign yourself to your fate.

"Hey, Rita."

"I was so worried about you!" Rita pushed Juno back, arms on his shoulders, and squinted at him. "You are alright, aren't you? I don't see any bandages, but you can never be too careful, I'm always telling you--"

"I'm fine, Rita. I promise," Juno said. Rita turned her gaze to Nureyev, who had hung back at the sight of Rita at Juno's door. A wise man. Well, sometimes.

"And _you_ ," she said, marching over to him with her hands on her hips. Even in five inch heels, Rita still only came up to Nureyev's chest. Nureyev, for all his (many, many) faults, sure was a tall drink of water. Rita pushed a finger into his chest. " _You_ have a lot to answer for, Mister Glass, or whoever you are!"

Nureyev looked torn between laughter and genuine concern. It made Juno smile. "My dear Rita," Nureyev said, "If I've caused offence, then surely--"

"Nope!" Rita said. "I gotta lay out my grievances. Now first, you run off on Mister Steel and leave him all brokenhearted--don't give me that look, Mister Steel, I know the signs when I see them, believe me, you should've seen that new series about the two star-crossed lovers--but anyway. And then Mister Steel takes off and leaves me a tragic voicemail like he's got himself into real trouble! And it turns out that it all leads back to you!"

Now he looked a little sheepish. "I truly didn't intend to put Juno in any danger," he said. "Well. At least no more danger than his line of work usually provides. I do apologize."

Rita tilted her chin back and looked at him seriously. "Alright," she said, at length. "Just make sure you don't do it again." She turned back to Juno and pointed a finger at him. "And you--don't you scare me like that!"

Juno gave her a tired smile. "I'll try my best."

"Well, your best better be good enough!"

"It always is. Want to come in and have a drink, Rita?"

"Oh, I better not," Rita said. "I've been looking all over for you for hours, and I'm behind on the new Kanagawa marathon already--you'd really like this one, boss, it's about a mad scientist and their protégé who--"

"You can tell me about it in the office tomorrow, Rita," Juno said. "I wouldn't want to make you any later than I already have."

"Sure thing, boss!" Rita gave him a sloppy salute and leveled a glare at Nureyev before she left, heels clicking in her wake.

"Your staff is certainly dedicated," said Nureyev, as Juno unlocked the door to his apartment.

"Rita and I have been through a lot together." Juno turned on the light once they were inside and winced. Sure, Nureyev had been in here before they left, but Juno had been too busy with dealing with the fact that Nureyev was there to notice what a mess his apartment was.

Whatever. If Nureyev had a problem with it, he could deal.

"There should still be some whiskey in the cabinet," Juno said. He flopped down on the couch and tilted his head back to the ceiling, closing his eyes. He could hear Nureyev in the kitchen, opening and closing the fridge. Joke was on him: there wasn't anything in there but expired takeout and some mayonnaise.

Nureyev came back in measured steps, and sat down beside Juno on the couch. He put a glass into Juno's hand.

Juno opened his eyes. Nureyev was sipping from his own drink, slowly. He looked at Juno and raised an eyebrow. "Shall we make a toast, detective?"

"To getting out alive." Juno knocked his glass against Nureyev's and knocked it back in one go.

Nureyev smiled at him. "I'll certainly drink to that," he said.

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Juno wasn't sure he'd ever felt this comfortable around Nureyev. The usual post-job relaxation was hard to resist. Most of the time, he ended up watching one of Rita's streams with her, which he never agreed to do otherwise. This wasn't so different, really.

Even in the beginning, when Rex Glass was just some stranger who showed up at Juno's office with a dangerous smile, there was something about him that had made Juno want to stand up straighter. He'd assumed it was just the hum of attraction under his skin. But that was the thing about Nureyev, in the end: no matter how frustrating he could be, there was something about him that demanded attention. When he was in the room, it was impossible to focus fully on anything else.

Or maybe that was still just the attraction. Whatever.

"Cred chip for your thoughts?"

Juno ignored him. He took the glass out of Nureyev's hand and set it on the coffee table along with his own. Nureyev was watching him as he did it, those big dark eyes, his hair just falling into his eyes over his glasses. It had clearly been a long couple of days for him, too.

Juno closed his eyes against the force of Nureyev's gaze and leaned his head on his shoulder. Buried his nose into Nureyev's neck, let himself breathe in the scent of his cologne.

Nureyev wrapped his arm around Juno's back, tentatively. Juno let him. He tucked himself up against Nureyev's side, swung his legs over his lap, so that he was basically curled up in Nureyev's arms. What the hell. Juno trusted Nureyev with his life, for better or for worse--his life had literally been in Nureyev's hands, and he was still here, wasn't he?

All those months ago, Nureyev had held him while they waited to get Juno's arm patched up. And Juno was an idiot, but he just wanted to feel like that again.

They'd made it out of this mess, and they were still alive, and Juno had no idea if Nureyev would still be here in the morning. If he'd still be on Mars at all. Anyone smart in Hyperion City learned to give up on hope past the age of five. But Juno had never quite gotten the hang of it.

Sure, Juno's heart felt a little bruised these days. But hey: since when had Juno Steel not been damaged goods?

Nureyev brushed his thumb under Juno's ear. "Alright, Juno?"

Juno breathed in deep. "Never better," he said. "Almost got killed, oh, five or six times." He put his hand on Nureyev's stomach, under his shirt. Felt his skin warm and alive underneath. "Watched you almost get killed about as many times as that."

"Oh, Juno," Nureyev said, soft. He tilted Juno's head up, and Juno opened his eyes. "Don't tell me you were worried."

Juno had been worried. Juno had seen Nureyev, who was the kind of guy who put every emotion in neat little boxes inside of himself and only pulled them out when he needed them, shaking in his goddamned boots just because Miasma looked at him funny. Just because she looked at him at all.

Their noses were touching. Juno was exhausted. He leaned up and kissed Nureyev on the mouth.

It wasn't at all like kissing Rex Glass. Glass had been confident and self-assured and opaque. His kiss hadn't given a single thing away.

Nureyev gave away everything. Not obviously--obvious was the last thing anyone would ever call Nureyev--but it was in the details. The way his thumb brushed against Juno's ear, the hitch in his breathing, the pounding of his heart underneath Juno's hand. And Juno was a damned good detective. Nureyev was in this just as much as he was. He was finally sure of it.

Juno pulled back, and couldn't quite resist the urge to clear his throat. He didn't disentangle himself from Nureyev, though. "You idiot," he said. "Of course I was worried about you."

Nureyev smiled his sharp-edged smile. "Why Juno," he said. "I didn't think you cared."

Juno rolled his eyes. "Don't even start." He tucked his face back into Nureyev's neck. He felt warm. "Can we just--not talk about it right now?"

Nureyev tightened his arm around Juno's shoulders. "Of course," he said. "We can talk about everything in the morning."

Fool me twice, Juno thought, but just then, he let himself believe Nureyev anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [on tumblr](http://luckydicekirby.tumblr.com) where I am crying about podcasts Always.


End file.
